Teeter-totter for dolls



J- W. RYAN TEETER-TOTTER FOR DOLLS May 25, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 8, 1963 JOZ/A/ 14 2K4 INVENTOR.

W A 7? drrae/va May 25, 1965 J. w. RYAN TEETER-TOTTER FOR DOLLS 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 8, 1963 JOA/A/ m m INVENTOR.

part of the seat is formed with 3,185,524'. 7 TEETERFTOTTER FOR DOLLSJohn W. Ryan, 688 Nimes Road, Bel Air, Calif.

Filed Feb. 8, 1963,Sel'. No. 257,325

4 Claims. (Cl. 297-447 This invention relates to.novel and improvedteetertotter particularly adapted for use with dolls. Moreparticularly,the teeter-totter is adapted with talking dolls having within them aphonograph device such as shown in the patent of John W. Ryan, No.3,017,187. In this type of talking doll, the phonograph mechanism isoperated by a draw-string having a pull ring at the back of the neck ofthe doll. The teeter-totter of this invention is constructed tofacilitate having such talking dolls sit on it or, be held on it in sucha position that the draw-st'ring can be conveniently operated.

' The teeter-totter of this invention may be usedin the manner stated inthe foregoing. It is adapted either for use in play or for display ofdolls while sitting on it.

The teeter-totter is of a novel, simplified, construction to beeffective for its purpose, to be completely safe and to facilitatemanufacture, production and fabrication.

The object'of the invention is accordingly to provide a novelteeter-totter particularly adapted for use with dolls and to facilitatethe operation of a talking doll while sitting on the teeter-totter.

Anoher object is to provide a teeter-totter as in the foregoing ofmolded plastic and tubular construction arranged to provide forappropriate strength and rigidity and to facilitate manufacture andfabrication using simplified production techniques. t 1

Further objects and additional advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description and annexed drawings,wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a preferred form of the invention;

3,185,524 Patented May 25, 1965 2 i The upper part'of the back 17 has aback rib 27. The

seat has a raised intermediate boss as shown at 29 at the V juncture ofthe seat and the keeper 19 for reinforcement and rigidity as shown inFIG. 3. The peripheral rib of thekeeper. 19 extends underneath the" seat18 on both sides as designated .at 32 and 33 in FIG. 4; The seat part 18has underneath it a transverse holder member 36 having a bore ;in it forpurposes which willbe described presently.

. The seats are connected by an intermediate member 37 which may be madeof suitable material'such as, for

example, it may be aluminum tubing; The ends of this member are turnedupwardly and are received in reinforced holes underneath the horizontalpart of the keepers 19 as designated at and 41. When the dolls are inposition on the seats the legs of the dolls straddle the web 22 of theseats and also the member 37.

The rockers 13 and 14 also may be made of aluminum tubing and as statedthe rockers are bowed downwardly in uniform arcs and they are also bowedlaterally as shown in FIG. 2. Opposite ends of the rockers 13 and 14 aresecured respectively to the seats wand 12. The rockers 13 and 14 havestraight end portions 46- and' 47 which are positioned along the ribs 32and 33 underneath FIGURE 2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;1

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of one of the seats;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIGURE 6 is a detailed sectional view taken along the line 6 6 of FIG.1;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 1.

Referring now more in detail to the various figures of the drawings, theteeter-totter comprises a seat 10 and a second seat 12 which seats arealike. These seats may be made of suitable materials but preferably theymay be molded plastic. The seats are supported on a pair of rockers 13and 14 as shown in FIGURE 2 which are bowed downwardly and alsolaterally from their points of attachment to the seats.

The construction of the seats is shown more in detail in FIGURES 3 and5. Each seat comprises a molded plastic element or unit having a backpart 17 integral with a seat part 18 and an upwardly extending keeper 19which extends upwardly from the seat. The back and seat part 17 and 18are moldedas shown so as to have an appropriate configuration to form" aback and seat. The purpose of the keeper 19 is to holdor retain a dollin 'position on the seat so that the draw-string or other manual 7 meanscan be conveniently manipulated as described in ignated at 25.

a peripheral rib as desthe seat. These portions are received with a snapfit in notches as shown at formed in integral extending bracket membersas shown at 51 and 52 which are secured laterally to the rib parts 32and 33 or'they may be formed integrally therewith. The rockers 13 and 14have additional extending end parts 54 and 55 which are bent inwardly asmay be seen in FIG. 2 and these end parts are receivedin the bore in thetransverseholder member 36 which is underneath each of the seats. Theseend parts areserrated as shownat 59 and 60 in FIG. 7 so that when theyare inserted in the holder member 36, which may be made of plastic orsimilar material, they will bite into the invention. The construction isa simplified one using a minimum number of parts which can be easilyfabricated and assembled with the parts securely held together providinga safe device. The parts are assembled in the manner described with theend portions of the tubular members inserted into the openings and heldby the serrations. The end parts of the rockers 13 and 14 are insertedinto the holder member 36 and then snapped into the detent slots in themembers 51 and 52.

The device may be made in various sizes and although it is particularlyadapted for either play with talking dolls or display of such dolls, itmay be used by children for ordinary play purposes. Those skilled in theart will observe that the invention achieves and realizes all of theobjects as stated in theforegoing as well as having the advantagesenumerated.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of a preferred form of theinvention and is to be interpreted in an illustrative rather than alimiting sense, the invention to be accorded the full scope of theclaims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy comprising a pair of seats, said seats being spaced from eachother and facing each other, rocker means having the said seats mountedthereon, said rocker means comprising rocker members having portionshaving compound curvature bowed downwardly from the seats and also bowedlaterally, each of said seats comprising an integral unit having a backpart, a seat part and a forwardly and upwardly extending keeper part,said keeper part having a narrowed web part adjacent to the seat partand laterally extending wing parts whereby each seat is adapted to havea doll placed therein and held thereby with the dolls legs straddlingthe narrowed part of the keeper part, a peripheral rib formed on saidkeeper part, said rib extending beneath said seat on both sides thereof,said seat resting on said rib, said rocker members having end partssecured to said rib beneath said seats on both sides thereof, andinwardly bent end parts, and a connecting member beneath said seat forsaid inwardly bent end parts.

2. A toy comprising a pair of seats, said seats being spaced from eachother and facing each other, rocker means having the said seats mountedthereon, said rocker means comprising rocker members, said membershaving portions having compound curvature bowed downwardly from theseats and also bowed laterally, each of said seats comprising anintegral unit having a back part, a seat part and a forwardly andupwardly extending keeper part,

a reinforcing boss connected between said seat part and said keeperpart, said keeper part having a narrowed web part adjacent to the'seatpart and laterally extending wings whereby each seat is adapted to havea doll placed therein and held thereby with the dolls legs straddlingthe narrowed part of the keeper part, a peripheral rib formed on saidkeeper part, said rib extending beneath said seat on both sides thereof,said seat resting on said rib, bracket members secured to said ribbeneath said seat on both sides thereof, said rocker members having endparts connected to said bracket members and extending along said rib onboth sides of said seat, and inwardly bent end parts, a holder memberpositioned beneath said seat and extending transversely thereof, saidinwardly bent end parts being received within and securely held by saidholder member, and a brace member spanning the space between said seats,said brace member having end parts secured in the opposite keeper parts.

3. A toy comprising a pair of seats, said seats being spaced from eachother and facing each other, rocker means having the said seats mountedthereon, said rocker means comprising members having end parts connectedto the respective seats, said rocker members having portions boweddownwardly from the seats and also bowed laterally, each of said seatscomprising an integral unit having a back part, as seat part and aforwardly and upwardly extending keeper part, said keeper part having anarrowed web part adjacent to the seat part whereby each seat is adaptedto have a doll placed therein and held thereby with the dolls legsstraddling the narrowed part of the keeper part, said seats havingnotched brackets on the bottom side thereof, said rocker members havingend parts seated insaid bracket members and said rocker members havinginwardly turned end parts, a holder member underneath the said seat parthaving a bore in it and the said end parts of the rocker members beinginserted into the holder member and held therein.

4. A structure as in claim 3 wherein the said end parts of the saidrocker members are serrated so as to be held in the said holder member.

References ited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 616,697 12/98Cowles et al 297390 1,270,219 6/ 18 Schwarz Q. 272-56 1,821,462 9/31Colella 272 X 1,902,367 3/33 Johnson 297-390 2,731,078 1/56 Cadman et al297-457 3,065,028 11/62 Irion 297-390 FOREIGN PATENTS 228,026 4/60Australia. 620,512 5/61 Canada.

FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

1. A TOY COMPRISING A PAIR OF SEATS, SAID SEATS BEING SPACED FROM EACHOTHER AND FACING EACH OTHER, ROCKER MEANS HAVING THE SAID SEATS MOUNTEDTHEREON, SAID ROCKER MEANS COMPRISING ROCKER MEMBERS HAVING PORTIONSHAVING COMPOUND CURVATURE BOWED DOWNWARDLY FROM THE SEATS AND ALSO BOWEDLATERALLY, EACH OF SAID SEATS COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL UNIT HAVING A BACKPART, A SEAT PART AND A FORWARDLY AND UPWARDLY EXTENDING KEEPER PART,SAID KEEPER PART HAVING A NARROWED WEB PART ADJACENT TO THE SEAT PARTAND LATERALLY EXTENDING WING PARTS WHEREBY EACH SEAT IS ADAPTED TO HAVEA DOLL PLACED THEREIN AND HELD THEREBY WITH THE DOLL''S LEGS STRADDLINGTHE NARROWED PART OF THE KEEPER PART, A PERIPHERAL RIB FORMED ON SAIDKEEPER PART, SAID RIB EXTENDING BENEATH SAID SEAT ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF,SAID SEAT RESTING ON SAID RIB, SAID ROCKER MEMBERS HAVING END PARTSSECURED TO SAID RIB BENEATH SAID SEATS ON BOTH SIDES THEREOF, ANDINWARDLY BENT END PARTS, AND A CONNECTING MEMBER BENEATH SAID SEAT FORSAID INWARDLY BENT END PARTS.